Homecoming

This is the story of the six Koshansky children during the cataclysmic years of the Russian Revolution. The Koshanskys had been a moderately well-off Jewish family in a small town in Russia, but the story opens with their abrupt decline in fortunethe Tsar has abdicated, Olya's father is placed under house-arrest by the local anti-Semitic police official, and their house is confiscated by the first of a group of revolutionary soldiers. Olya describes their gradual debasement as a family with an almost painful honesty. Olya's father manages to escape to America and it is his promise to bring the family out of Russia that enables them to survive the starvation, sickness and brutality that befalls them. Leaving their home behind isn't easy, and Olya's story of their crossing Europe on their own is both exciting and moving. A good story and a searing portrayal of a time rarely depicted in children's books. Ages 12-up. (October)